2013

why are there so many terrible managers?

If you’re like most people, you’ve had your share of bad bosses – managers who couldn’t delegate well, or were terrible at giving feedback, or were just plain jerks. And you’ve probably wondered why there are so many bad managers out there – why do companies hire them and how do they stay in their […]

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unfair performance rating, inaccurate scheduling, and more

It’s five short answers to five short questions! (Yes, five instead of the usual seven. I’m experimenting with doing shorter-than-usual posts on Saturday and Sunday.) 1. I was rated poorly on attendance when I don’t actually have an attendance problem I had my annual review today and was upset to see that I was rated […]

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why won’t my employer tell us why our coworker was fired?

A reader writes: I was hoping you and your readers could help me understand something. I’m fairly new to the white-collar workforce, and am in the middle of an awkward situation in my job at a satellite location of a larger non-profit. A couple days ago, the site manager was fired. As in, came in […]

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angry rejected candidates: “I never had a class in college teaching me the etiquette of prostituting myself on paper”

A reader sent me an exchange that she had with a recent graduate who applied for a job with her company. The applicant had submitted a three-page resume with short essays about her experience on it. That exchange is further down, but first here’s what the reader wrote to me: I thought I’d share something […]

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open thread

It’s our biweekly open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything you want to talk about. If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet, but this is a chance to talk to other readers.

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